Staple support slide and feed means for stapling machines



s. SEGAL 2,654,087

STAPLE SUPPORT suns AND FEED MEANS FOR STAPLING MACHINES Oct. 6, 1953 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1, 1951 WJJ/WM 13 2'? 15 Oct. 6, 1953 SEGAL2,654,087

STAPLE SUPPORT SLIDE AND FEED MEANS FOR STAPLING MACHINES Filed May 1,1951 2 SheetsSfieet 2 Patented Oct. 6, 1953 STAPLE SUPPORT SLIDE ANDFEED MEANS FOR STAPLING MACHINES Samuel Segal, New York, N. Y., assignorto Wilson-Jones Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication May 1, 1951, Serial No. 223,870

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a staple support slide and feed means forstapling machines, and partioularly to a staple support slide having afeeding mechanism that will enable the last staple in the machine to bedrived through the exit channel. g

It is a common disadvantage of many stapling machines that the staplefeeding mechanism can not move close enough to the exit channel to feedthe last few staples, with the result that the machine must be re-loadedbefore it is entirely empty. In many stapling machines the necessity ofre-loading the machine before it is entirely empty is particularlyannoying because the staple support slide will accommodate only onestrip of staples, and, since the staples come in strips of standardlength, some of the staples must be removed from the strip beinginserted into the machine.

It is an object of this invention to provide a staple support slide witha feeding mechanism capable of feeding the last staple from the slide.Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following description, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a stapling machine embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the stapling machine with the bodyportion swung around its pivot;

Figure 3 is an inverted perspective view of the staple support slidewith the pusher mechanism in its extreme forward position;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view, taken gen- 3O 11. positioned betweenthe end wall l2 and the foreerally along the line 44 of Figure 3, but hing the staple support slide in position in the body portion of thestapling machine;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken along theline 5-5 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken along'theline 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view, taken along theline 11 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a bottom perspective view of the body portion of thestapling machine, with the staple support slide positionedtherein,'parts of the stapling machine and staple support slide beingbroken away to facilitate illustration of the staple feeding mechanism;

Figure 9 is a top elevational view of the staple support slide with thepusher mech'anism in its extreme forward position, and showing, indotted lines, the position of the pusher mechanismimmediately after astrip of staples has been positioned on the slide;

Figure 10 is a detailed perspective view of the staple pusher mechanism;and

Figure 11 is a detail perspective view of a modified embodiment of thepusher mechanism.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 2 indicates the base portion of astapling machine having a body portion 3 pivotally secured thereto, asindicated at 4. Thebody portion is provided with a head 5 mounted on aplunger 5 for driving the staples l which are mounted on a staplesupport slide 8 fitting in a recess 9 in the bottom of the body portion3. The recess 9 is defined by the side walls It) and II, and the frontwall It of the body portion. The rear end of the recess 9 is left opento permit the staple support slide 8 to be inserted into and removedfrom the recess. The side walls In and II are provided withlongitudinally extending recesses 13 and 14, respectively, as shown inFigure 4.

The staple support slide 8 comprises a channel shaped member having atop wall l5, side walls It andll, and an end wall 18. A latch I9pivotally secured to end Wall l8 cooperates with notches in the sidewalls In and I I to retain the staple support slide against longitudinaldisplacement in the stapling machine. The staple support slide 8 alsohas laterally extending flanges 28 and 2| fitting in recesses l3 and I4,respectively, to hold it in proper position and to prevent verticaldisplacement of the slide relative to the stapling machine. The forwardend of the staple support slide is spaced slightly from the end wall 12,and a plate 22 (Fig. 8), having rearwardly extending projections 23 and24, is

most position of the staple support slide to define an exit channel 25(Fig. 6) through which the staples I are individually driven by theplunger 6 in response to force applied downwardly against the head 5.

' The feeding mechanism comprises a feed block 26 mounted on a rod 21, aspring 28 for propelling the feeding block forwardly and a pressureplate 29. The rod 21 has one end supported by a lip 30 (Fig. 8) struckfrom the stop wall l5 of the staple support slide, and its other endsupported by end wall I8. One end of the rod is provided with anenlarged head, and the other end is enlarged, as indicated at 3 I, afterthe rod is inserted into position. The feed block 26 is bored, asindicated at 32 (Fig. 10) so that it can slide longitudinally on the rod21. The spring 28 encircles the rod 21 and is positioned between endwall I8 and pressure plate 29 which is also slidable on the rod 21.

The opposite edges of feed block 26 are provided with recesses 33 and 34in which feed fingers 35 and 36 are pivoted, as indicated at 31 and 38,respectively. Feed fingers 35 and 36 are duplicates, except that theyare reversed, so only one of them will be described. The forward end ofeach feed finger is bifurcated to form prong-like portions 39 and. Theside walls I6 and ll of the staple support slide 8 are each providedwith a longitudinally extending slot 4|. The legsof the staplespositioned on the staple support slide straddle the side walls l6 andI1, and extend past the slot 4|. The portions 39 of the feed fingers areadapted to project through the slot 4| to the rear of the staples andare urged against the legs of the rearmost staple by the spring 28 topropel the staples forwardly towards theexit channel (see Fig. 8). Theseportions 39 are extended forwardly of the feed block far enough so thattheir forward ends are fiush with the end of the staple support slidewhen the feed block is in its forward position (see Figs. 6 and 7). Thisarrangement of the feed fingers makes it possible to feed the laststaple from the machine even though the feed block can not be movedforwardly past the lip 30. The front end of each portion 40 of the feedfingers is curved, as indicated at 42, to abut one of the inside wallsof the slide 8 to prevent it from entering slot 4 I, and thereby limitsthe outward lateral movement of the feed fingers.

The lip 38 is positioned as close as possible to the forward edge of thestaple support slide so that it will not be necessary to extend theportions 39 of the feed fingers so far as to make them too weak toperform their intended function. The cut out in the top wall of thestaple support slide, from which the lip 38 is formed, will naturallyweaken the front edge of the top wall. This front edge portion of thetop wall is strengthened by a transversely extending reinforcing ridge43 (Fig. which is embossed in the top wall between the lip and the frontedge of the top wall.

In loading the stapling machine, a plurality of staples adhered togetherin a strip of standard length is inserted into the recess 9 through theopen rear end of the recess with the legs of the staples straddling theside walls l6 and ll of the staple support slide 8. It has been foundinconvenient to retract the feed block 26 and to position the strip ofstaples I forwardly of the feed block. Accordingly, it is customary toposition the new strip of staples on the slide when the feed block is inits forward position, and to then retract the feed block. When the feedblock is retracted the rear edges of the feed fingers and 36 engage theforemost staple and push the whole strip of staples towards the rear endof recess 9. The user loading the machine places his thumb over the rearedge of recess 9 and thereby prevents the staples from being pushed outof the recess. The thumb pressure against the rearmost staple causes thefingers 35 and 36 to collapse inwardly as the feed block is retracteduntil the feed fingers are moved past the rearmost edge of slots 4| sothat the extensions 39 are confined by the inside of walls l5 and Hi.The machine is then tilted to make the staples slide towards the frontend of the machine. The feed block is then released and is movedforwardly by spring 28. When the feed fingers move forwardly far enoughto register with the slots 4| they move outwardly through the slots 4|and then engage the legs of the rearmost staple to propel the staplesforwardly towards the exit channel. This loading procedure requires thatthe extensions 39 must be retracted laterally at the forward-endof theslots 4| so that the feed fingers can be positioned entirely within thespace between the legs of the staples; and then retracted longitudinallyuntil the forward edges of the extensions 39 are confined by the insideof walls |5 and I6. It is necessary that the extensions 39 of the feedfingers must extend to the forward edge of the staple slide when thefeed block is in its forward position in order to feed the last stapleto the exit channel. The slot 4| dbe's net extend to the forward edge ofthe staple slide and therefore when the feed block is in its forwardposition the feed fingers can not be retracted laterally because theinside edges of the extensions 39 would engage the portions l6 and ll ofside walls l6 and I1 which lie between the forward end of slot 4| andthe forward edge of the side walls. The feed block must be retracted farenough to permit the extensions 39 to clear the portions I6 and ll ofthe side walls It and I1 defining the forward edges of slots 4| beforethe feed fingers can be retracted laterally into the slots. The lengthof slots 4| must therefore be great enough to extend past the rear endof the strip of staples a distance great enough to permit the feedfingers 35 and 36 to move outwardly through slots 4| to engage the legsof the rearmost staple at the rear end of the slide when the forward endof the strip of staples is positioned in its foremost position.

The staples are propelled forwardly by feed block 26 which is urgedforwardly by the spring 28. When the feed fingers 35 and 36 are retracted within slots 4|, their rearmost portions 44 and 45 (Fig. 6)project slightly beyond the rear edge of the feed block 25. The pressureplate 29, which is interposed between the rear edge of the feed blockand the spring 28, is pressed against the rear edge of the feed block bythe force of the spring. The pressure of plate 29 against portions 44and 45 of the feed fingers forces the feed fingers outwardly through theslots 4| so as to align the forward edges of extensions 39 with the legsof the staples 1. When the feed block is retracted against the force ofspring 28, the feed fingers 35 and 36 are retracted laterally byengagement of the rear side of the feed fingers with'the legs of theforemost staple I against which they are pressed. The feed fingers arepivoted very sensitively so that only a slight pressure is necessary tomove them in either direction. In the embodiment of Figure 11, thepressure plate 29 is replaced by a channel shaped pressure plate 46which has one wall 47 positioned against the rear edge of feed block 26so that it acts in the same manner as the pressure plate 29. An otherwall 48 of pressure plate 46 is spaced from wall 41 by a connecting wall49 which is slightly longer than feed block 26. The wall 48 is cut awayat its outer edges, as indicated at 58-, to provide clearance for thefeed fingers. When the staples are being propelled forwardly there is nodifference in operation between wall 41 of pressure plate 46 andpressure plate 29. When it is desired to retract the feedin mechanism,finger pressure applied to wall 48 moves wall 41 out of contact with therear edge of the feed block 25, so that when the feed block is movedrearw'ardly the feed fingers 35 and 36 are free to retract laterallywith a minimum amount of pressure exerted against them because thespring 28 does not urge the fingers outwardly through pressure-againstwall 41 as it does with pressure against plate 29 in the previouslydescribed embodiment. As in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 10, the usermay hold his thumb over the open rear end of recess 9 to prevent thestaples from being pushed out of the recess when the feed block isretracted.

Although I have described two preferred embodiments of my invention inconsiderable detail, it will be understood that the description thereofis intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many detailsmay be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to theexact structure described, except as limited by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a feeding mechanism comprising a feed block movablelongitudinally relative to said staple support slide, means limiting theforward movement of said feed block relative to the staple supportslide, and a pair of feed fingers pivotally mounted in said feed block,each of said fingers having a portion extending forwardly a distancesufiicient to position said portions flush with the forward edge of saidslide when said feed block is in its forward position.

2. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a feed block, spring means for moving said feed block forwardlyrela-' tive to said staple support slide, means limiting the forwardmovement of said feed block, and a pair of feed fingers pivoted to saidfeed block, each of said fingers extending forwardly of said feed blockto a position flush with the forward edge of said slide when said feedblock is in its forward position.

3. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a feed block movable longitudinally relative to said staplesupport slide, a pair of feed fingers pivoted to said feed block to moveinwardly and outwardly relative to said block, a portion of each of saidfeed fingers projecting slightly rearwardly from said feed block whensaid feed fingers are in their innermost positions, a pressure plateengaging the rearwardly projecting portions of said feed fingers, andspring means urging said pressure plate forwardly to engage the rearedge of said feed block and to move said feed fingers laterally to theiroutermost positions, said pressure plate having a front wall spacedforwardly of said feed plate, whereby finger pressure applied to saidfront wall to move said feed block rearwardly of said staple supportslide moves said pressure plate out of engagement with the rear edge ofsaid feed block and removes the pressure against the rearwardlyprojectin portions of said feed fingers so that they may move laterallyinwardly without resistance.

4. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a rod extending longitudinally of said slide, a channel shapedpressure plate mounted on said rod, said pressure plate having parallelfront and rear walls spaced longitudinally on said rod, a feed blockslidably mounted on said rod between said front and rear walls, saidfeed block being of less length than the longitudinal distance betweenthe front and rear walls of said pressure plate, a spring embracing saidrod and exerting pressure against the rear wall of said pressure plateto force it into engagement with the rear edge of said feed block,finger pressure on the front wall of said pressure plate being effectiveto move said rear wall out of engagement with the rear edge of said feedblock before said feed block can be slid rearwardly relative to saidslide, and a pair of feed fingers pivotally mounted in said feed block,said feed fingers having portions extending rearwardly of said feedblock so that the feed fingers are held in their outermost positions bypressure of said rear wall when said rear wall is in engagement with therear edge of said feed block.

5. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a feed block slidably mounted in said staple support slide, apressure plate having front and rear walls straddling said feed block,said pressure plate being longer than said feed block, spring meansurging the rear wall of said pressure plate into engagement with therear edge of said feed block, finger pressure on the frontwall of saidpressure plate being effective to move said rear wall out of engagementwith the rear edge of said feed block before said feed block can be slidrearwardly relative to said staple support slide, and a pair of feedfingers pivotally mounted in said feed block, said feed fingers havingportions extending rearwardly of said feed block so that the feedfingers are held in their outermost positions by pressure of said rearwall when said rear wall is in engagement with the rear edge of saidfeed block.

6. In a magazine for stapling machines, a body portion, a staple supportslide, a feed block slidably mounted in said staple support slide, a lipprojecting from said slide, said lip preventing forward movement of saidfeed block beyond a predetermined point spaced rearwardly from theforward edge of said slide, a pressure plate having front and rear wallsstraddling said feed block, said pressure plate being longer than saidfeed block, spring means urging the rear wall of said pressure plateinto engagement with the rear edge of said feed block, finger pressureon the front wall of said pressure plate being effective to move saidrear wall of the pressure plate out of engagement with the rear edge ofsaid feed block before said feed block can be slid rearwardly relativeto said slide, and a pair of feed fingers pivotally mounted in said feedblock, said feed fingers having portions extending rearwardly of saidfeed block when the fingers are in their innermost positions, so thatthe feed fingers are held in their outermost positions by pressure ofsaid rear wall against the rearwardly projecting portions of the fingerswhen said rear wall is in engagement with the rear edge of said feedblock, the forward ends of said feed fingers being flush with theforward edge of said slide when said feed block is in its forwardposition.

7. In a magazine for stapling machines, a staple support slide adaptedto receive a strip of staples of predetermined overall length, saidslide comprising a channel shaped member having a top wall, side walls,a rear end wall, and a lip projecting from said top wall, each of saidside walls being provided with a longitudinally extending slot, said lipbeing spaced rearwardly from the front end of said channel member andbeing substantially parallel to said rear end wall, a rod having one endsupported by said rear end wall and its other end supported by said lip,a feed block mounted on said rod, said feed block being slidable betweensaid rear end wall and said lip, and a pair of feed fingers pivotallymounted in said feed block, each of said feed fingers being bifurcated,said fingers being movable outwardly to project one portion of eachfinger through said slot, said projecting portion of each finger beingflush with the front end of said slide when said feed block ispositioned against said lip.

SAMUEL SEGAL.

Name Date Maynard July 13, 1948 Number

